The ancient city of Almaty on the ancient Silk Road has a Xian Xinghai Avenue, and people tell such a story. When the Great Patriotic War broke out in 1941, the famous Chinese musician Xian Xinghai came to Almaty. At a time when he was unaccompanied, poor and sick, the Kazakh musician Baikadamov accepted him and provided him with a warm home.

In Almaty, Xian Xinghai composed famous musical works such as "National Liberation", "Sacred War", and "Man Jianghong", and composed the symphonic poem "Aman Geld" based on the deeds of the Kazakh national hero Aman Gald, which inspired people to fight against fascism and was widely welcomed by the local people.

-- "Promoting People's Friendship for a Better Future: Speech at Nazarbayev University" (September 7, 2013)

Further reading:

For thousands of years, on the ancient Silk Road, the people of all countries have jointly written a chapter of friendship that has been recited through the ages. The story of Chinese musician Xian Xinghai is one of those pages.

In 1940, Xian Xinghai was ordered to go from Yan'an to the Soviet Union to post-produce and score the large-scale documentary "Yan'an and the Eighth Route Army". However, the outbreak of the Soviet-German war in 1941 not only brought the production of the film to a halt, but also blocked Xian Xinghai's return to China. After that, he traveled to Almaty. When he had no relatives, no fixed residence, poverty and illness, the Kazakh musician Baikadamov accepted him and provided him with a warm home. In the midst of the difficult years, the two musicians still adhered to their musical ideals, constantly inspired each other, composed music, and formed a deep friendship.

Baikadamov admired Xian Xinghai's musical talent and recommended him to the northern city of Kostanay to work as a music director for the local start-up music studio. In Kostanay, Xian Xinghai worked tirelessly to inspire the local people with music. Thanks to his efforts, the Kostanay Music Gallery was opened and the first concert after the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War was held. Xian Xinghai is not only responsible for conducting, but also personally participates in the performance. From this, he also got a name in the local language - "Huang Shi", which means joy. He also traveled to mountain villages with his peers and gradually began to learn about Kazakh folk music, not only learning to play dombra, but also collecting, arranging and composing many works in local styles. In Kazakhstan, Xian Xinghai composed famous musical works such as "National Liberation", "Sacred War" and orchestral suite "Man Jianghong". Among them, his symphonic poem "Aman Gelde", based on the deeds of the Kazakh national hero Aman Gaard, inspired people to fight against fascism and was widely welcomed by the local people. After Xian Xinghai's death, the city of Almaty named a street near Baikadamov's house "Xian Xinghai Avenue" and erected a monument to him.

Different cultures stirred each other along the Silk Road, forming a silent spiritual bond and deepening the mutual understanding between the people along the way. Looking back at the history of the Silk Road, countries along the Silk Road have exchanged ideas and learned from each other, which has jointly promoted the progress of human civilization. Xi Jinping's story of Xian Xinghai in his speech at Nazarbayev University is precisely to illustrate this point.

The story of Xian Xinghai is only one of the pages in the chapter of exchanges, mutual learning and friendly exchanges that have been recited through the ages, but this page also irrefutably proves: "As long as we adhere to unity and mutual trust, equality and mutual benefit, inclusiveness and mutual learning, and win-win cooperation, countries of different races, beliefs and cultural backgrounds can fully share peace and common development." Xi Jinping's words are the valuable inspiration given to us by "Xian Xinghai Avenue".